~*{ Chapter Ten: Middlemist Red }*~

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Kyungsoo forced his heavy eyelids open as the soft beeping echoed through his ears. His body felt completely numb and the only thing he could do was glance around the room with a fog around his thoughts. He somehow became aware of the limpid air mask that was strapped to the lower half of his face.

It took him moments before he'd come to realize he was in a hospital and hooked up to a machine. His eyes flickered  over to the two males who sat conversing by his side. They hadn't realized he had awakened yet and when Kyungsoo's eyes fell upon his lover, his heart broke.

The taller one's eyes were red and stayed glued to the heart monitor as Kris murmured soft, soothing words. Kyungsoo could tell that the shorter one of the two had sobbed his eyes out just moments ago and Kyungsoo wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around Baekhyun- but it was even too tiring to keep his eyes open.

"Baek...." Kyungsoo called softly and both of them jolted, startled, at the weak sound of Kyungsoo's voice.

"Love? Love, are you alright???" Baekhyun asked frantically as he squeezed Kyungsoo's hand tightly and the tears found themselves in the taller one's eyes once again.

Kyungsoo nodded and a soft, weak smile found it's way to his lips . "I am alright."

Of course it was a lie. Kyungsoo was not alright- anyone could see that. He was dying and there was nothing anyone in the whole world could do about it.

"Where is this...?" Kyungsoo asked and Baekhyun smiled down at the shorter one.

"Britain. We had you transported to this hospital since it was the nearest one with top-notch doctors." 

A small frown weakly tugged at Kyungsoo's lips. Baekhyun was wasting money on the inevitable, but Kyungsoo forced off the dreary thoughts as he gazed sorrowfully up at the taller one.

"Middlemist Red?" 

Baekhyun nodded.

"Yes,love. Middlemist red. We can go see it once you are feeling better." Baekhyun spoke and as the words left his lips, Kyungsoo could see the taller one shatter.

That was how Kyungsoo knew he wasn't going to get better- Baekhyun's eyes showed him everything. A smile, not one that reached his eyes, found it's way to Kyungsoo's lips as he fought back the tears- Death was waiting to claim what was rightfully his.

"Really? How exciting, I'm looking forward to it."

The uncomfortable lump formed in Baekhyun's throat as he fought back the tears. "Alright. So you must get better so that you'll get discharged in no time. Alright?"

Kyungsoo would never be discharged from the hospital and the horrific, grief filled look in Kris' eyes confirmed Kyungsoo's thoughts.

However, the shorter one still smiled- fighting back the tears with every ounce of strength he had left. "Alright."

Silence befell them and the beeping from the monitor filled the room. Baekhyun was suffocating by the second and Kyungsoo could only weakly offer his hand. 

"I-I cannot do this." Baekhyun mumbled as he shot up from his seat.

"What do you mean?"Kris asked, worry seeping into his voice.

Baekhyun's tears fell as he leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss on Kyungsoo's forehead.

"You'll get to see it. I will bring a picture back. I do not care what lengths I have to go to. You will get to see it- even if it's just a measly picture." Baekhyun whispered as he locked gazes with Kyungsoo and the world seemed to stop for just a second as Kyungsoo's eyes widened with shock.

"See what?" Kris asked.

"The meddlemist red." Kyungsoo replied through painful breaths and Kris' eyes widened with shock as well.

"Baekhyun, that is not wise. You need to be by his-"

"No. It is alright." Kyungsoo interrupted and Kris stared at the shorter one, completely baffled.

Baekhyun swallowed hard as he was gifted with a sweet smile from the shorter one. "I love you. I will be back in no time."

Kyungsoo smiled as the tears silently fell and a weak, soft laugh left his lips and became muffled due to the air mask. "Alright, but before you go, kiss me."

Baekhyun wiped furiously at his tears before forcing a soft smile and nodded as he gently reached up- sliding the air mask down slightly to reveal the shorter one's colorless lips. He leaned down to place a soft, sorrowful kiss on his lover's lips and Kris had to avert his eyes- feeling as if the moment was only meant for the two and no one else.

That moment- Kyungsoo wanted to last forever, but there was no such thing as forever as Baekhyun pulled away just seconds later.

"I love you." Kyungsoo mumbled and Baekhyun smiled before placing the air mask back to it's original position.
 

"I love you, too." Baekhyun replied as he gently Kyungsoo's cheek. 

The two shared one last gaze before Baekhyun fumbled around in his bag and pulled out the camera. He slung the camera strap over his neck and smiled softly at Kyungsoo as made his way over to the door.

"I will be right back." 

"Alright. I will be waiting." Kyungsoo whispered back and his lover disappeared through the door.

A soft sigh slipped from Kyungsoo's lips as he stared up at Kris.

"So it seems the time has come."

Kris, on the verge of breaking from the painfulness of it all, nodded slightly.

"Did you erase the pictures as you promised me you would?" Kyungsoo asked softly and Kris was silent as he nodded again.

"Why....why did you want me to erase those pictures?"

"So that it will be as if he never met me." Kyungsoo replied and Kris wanted to cry out at the shorter one's answers, but he bit back everything.

"Kyungsoo....."

" I love him. I love him so much. So, make sure to take care of him okay and about the shop, please close it down." Kyungsoo mumbled as death walked in- waiting to take what he had come to take.

"Kyungsoo. Don't." Kris spoke, but even he was uncertain of what he was asking of the shorter one.

"Be sure to love him, alright? He is going to need you. Make sure he smiles again. Make sure he eats well and that he sleeps well at night. If he gets frightened, be there for him- hug him till he calms down. If he starts to cry, wipe his tears away. Make sure that he saves his money for his old age instead of spending it unwisely. Laugh at his jokes, even if they are cheesy. Tell him good morning when you wake him and.....and just take care of him. Please." 

"Kyungsoo, wait-"

"I am sure the meddlemist red looked lovely........" Kyungsoo mumbled as the world around him began to darken- death finally engulfing him.

Kris dropped his head as the tears and cries he could no longer hold back escaped him.

The clock on the wall seemed to tick in time with the beeping from the monitor and Kyungsoo allowed his eyes to take once last glance before he allowed them to shut for the final time-  the last thing his eyes laid upon was the silver band on his finger:

Je T'aime.

~*~

Baekhyun ran as the oxygen in his lungs burned and he did not care that his body was overly exhausted from the lack of sleep. His mind was running a mile a minutes as he fought his way back to the hospital. He had gotten the picture of the middlemist red and he was running- running to reach his lover as the final minutes ticked away.

When his feet had come to a stop, his eyes widen and his heart shattered. 

His eyes landed upon Kris, who crouched down in the hall outside of Kyungsoo's hospital door and Baekhyun knew-  Kyungsoo was gone.

Baekhyun's vision blurred as the tears streamed unknowingly down his face and he took slow, staggering steps towards the hospital room door.

Kris' cries were audible and every last one of them stabbed sharp knifes into the shorter one's heart.

His eyes glazed over the hospital door plaque as his shaky hand somehow found the door handle.

He caught his breath as he flung the door open and the cold air whisked around him in seconds. The monitor was off and the blanket was drawn up- showing the outline of a person underneath.

"Kyungsoo....?" Baekhyun called- his voice breaking as a terrifying smile perched onto his lips. He took slow steps as he approached the bed- his footsteps echoing off the walls as the tears spilled endlessly from his eyes

When he reached the bed, his hands trembled as he reached up and drew the blanket down- revealing the face underneath.

"Kyungsoo....love?" Baekhyun called once more, his voice rising as his eyes landed upon his lover.

Death was etched into his pale features and no signs of life could be seen. His eyes were closed and a peaceful expression took on his features. 

"Love, this isn't funny. Wake up now." Baekhyun cried softly as he shook his lover- but there was no response.

The camera slipped from his hands to the floor, the sound cutting through the air like a blade, and both of the taller one's hands were now gripping at the lifeless body on the bed.
 

"Love, wake up now. Open your eyes! Kyungsoo!" Baekhyun furiously called and his body shook uncontrollably.

A pair of arms, ones he couldn't recognize at the moment because they were not Kyungsoo's, wrapped around him and yanked him from the body.

"Baekhyun...stop..." Kris murmured through his tears as he held Baekhyun tightly- keeping the shorter one locked in place, but Baekhyun didn't hear him. He couldn't hear him.

"Kris, call him. He is not waking up. Kyungsoo!" Baekhyun sobbed through his tears as he struggled to free himself from Kris' grasp.

"Baekhyun, stop. He is gone." Kris choked through the tears as the shorter one collapsed in his arms.

"Why?! I wasn't done loving him! There was still so much...Kyungsoo, I love you!" Baekhyun called in hopes of hearing a response leave his lover's lifeless lips, but no such thing happened. " Kyungsoo, open your eyes! Kris, he won't wake up! Kris, you have to do something. Fix him; wake him up"

Baekhyun cried  and pleaded hard as he clung onto the cardiothorastic surgeon without realizing the heart-wrenching expression the taller one had on.

Baekhyun was shattered; broken as his tears seemed to spiral out of control as well as the function of the rest of his body.

"I wasn't done loving him....I wasn't finished yet..." sobbed Baekhyun and Kris could only pull the shorter one closer as he cried as well.

It had snowed that day.

Christmas was only just two days away.

~*~

AN:// just one more chapter to go~